With all apologies due to Leonard Cohen, I would like to take this opportunity to assert that everybody knows what they need to know in order to lose weight. Further, we all possess the tools needed in order to have a successful life! Sometimes accessing these tools is difficult, and misinformation is fed to us in order to sell products and distract us from our own wellness.
I came to these realizations about "everybody" because I eventually came to understand them about myself. Not being a super-hero or even a super villain (no matter what my daughter's friends say), I know that I can't be the only person with these powers.
We know that a healthy relationship with food requires that web treat it as fuel and not entertainment. We all know that what we absorb into our body becomes our body. We all know that our bodies need healthy, nutritious fuel and that garbage in makes us feel like garbage. We all know that our bodies were developed/created/designed/evolved to be used and that if we don't exercise the body it can not effectively support that use.
We all know to eat when we're hungry and stop when we're satisfied. We all know that water is a necessity whether or not we enjoy drinking it. We all know that a junk food binge will not solve our problems. We all know that are internal organs are meant to work together in harmony and not to be "stapled," "sleeved," or otherwise surgically restricted. We all know that diets don't work long-term and are not sustainable. We all know, at some level, that our own choices have led us to our current health and wellness.
At least I know these things. Doesn't everyone?
Why do we continually make these poor choices? How do we put all of this knowledge into action? Why doesn't it come naturally to us? This is what I am working on with my health coach and my counselor.
Obesity is at a epidemic level in America. Some people believe obesity is a disease. Some think it is a choice. I have come to believe it is a symptom of individual and often underlying emotional problems that have lead us to indulge in poor habits. In my case it is.
What do you think?
Not sure if my original comments went through on my ipad. Here goes again. I agree with the fact that we know but yet we choose otherwise. What drives that? In listening to Debbie Ford, there was some truth in that the guilty feel they need to be punished. We make bad choice when we feel bad about ourselves or circumstances. That resonates with me. Looking forward to checking out your blog!
ReplyDeleteHere's to discovering the drive and making the change. Rock On!
Anita
I can only speak for myself, but I think unhealthy eating is entirely emotional. I absolutely use food to regulate my feelings. I eat when I'm angry, when I'm sad, when I'm bored and, of course, happy. Food as punishment? Absolutely. I'm not pretty/smart/interesting anyway, so what does it matter if I eat this unhealthy mess? Getting into a space of demotivation is the worst thing you can let yourself do. If I do, then I eat, eat, eat, feel bad, and eat some more.
DeleteThe flip side of that is the danger of using food to celebrate. Hey, I've done so well this week, I've earned this cake.
"Why do we continually make these poor choices?"
ReplyDeleteIt's ironic that I wrote on this very topic yesterday. :-) You know my answer at great length, but the short version is because we can't make better ones. Mental stamina for making choices is limited, and making difficult ones continuously is too hard emotionally. We have to take a holistic approach to all changes in life and most people are taxed to their limits most of the time with things other than food and exercise. Once people realize this, they may be able to seek a balance among all of their choices that include a slow path toward greater health and wellness.
SFG; It has to be more than coincidence that I was led to your post yesterday right after I had posted this. We're definitely on the path . . . Thanks again.
ReplyDeletePersonally i find obesity to be a choice. Yes there are many factors which influence what a person decides to do about their diet & exercise needs, but at the end of each decision made it is them making it. Sure, there are some exceptional examples out there where a persons obesity is completely out of their control, but they are just that, so very few exceptions. The rise in obesity is not the fault of the industries producing more and more low quality processed food for the population to purchase, it is the population choosing to purchase and consume bad choices. I accept all responsibility for my own obesity.
ReplyDelete-Patrick
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